Carnival Spirit, seen here parked at Vancouver harbor, will be moving to Seattle next year.
Starting next year Carnival Cruise Line will remove its only Vancouver based ship, the 2,124 passenger Spirit, to nearby Seattle. The cruise company said the move is solely being done to save money in these awful economic times. A total of 17 week-long Alaska cruises will emanate from Seattle, with port of calls that will include for the first time Victoria, as well as popular cruise cities Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. This move will wind up costing the city of Vancouver roughly $18 million.
The change not only saves some cash for Carnival, but will wind up providing cheaper cruise prices for travelers. The economic climate has forced the cruise industry to think up new and inventive ways to save money and at the same time provide convenience to customers. Carnival stated that Vancouver cruises often times were seen as high end trips. This was due to the expensive airfare to or from Canada. Most passengers would choose to fly into Vancouver or Alaska for the cruise, but with Seattle all cruises will be round-trip.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
